Sportsnaut
The Las Vegas Raiders have one more preseason game to evaluate their roster. On Saturday against the Arizona Cardinals, several players with the Silver and Black will take the field with their short-term future in question.
The Raiders’ coaching staff must finalize the rotation at the nickelback position, sort out the depth along the offensive line and fill out the running back group behind rookie first-rounder Ashton Jeanty.
The players will help the team make those decisions with their performances for the remainder of the week and in the final preseason game.
Here are three veterans who could lose their roster spot ahead of the August 26 cutdown deadline.
Darnay Holmes’ experience in defensive coordinator Patrick Graham’s system didn’t help him claim the primary nickelback position. Going back to the spring, safety Jeremy Chinn has taken most of the snaps in the slot in a big nickel formation.
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In Week 2 of the preseason, Chinn snagged an interception on the San Francisco 49ers‘ second drive, showing off his ability to make plays in the secondary. Meanwhile, Holmes could be expendable if the Raiders tap into cornerback Kyu Blu Kelly’s inside-outside versatility.
On Tuesday, Alex Cappa returned to practice, but it could be too little, too late for the eighth-year guard. Jackson Powers-Johnson has taken most of the practice reps and snaps with the first-team offense. Rookie Laki Tasi has shown signs of promise at right guard in the first two exhibition games.
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Because of a rib injury, Cappa missed the majority of training camp. If he misses the final preseason game or has a poor performance, the Raiders could move on from him and move Tasi into the No. 2 spot at right guard behind Powers-Johnson.
In the Raiders’ Week 2 preseason outing with the 49ers, Raheem Mostert and Zamir White entered the game after Ashton Jeanty, which indicates a battle for the No. 2 running back spot.
In that game, Mostert logged three carries for nine yards and caught three passes for 16 yards. Meanwhile, White recorded a carry for five yards and didn’t see a target. Because of his pass-catching ability, Mostert should be able to beat out White for the No. 2 spot.
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In 39 games, White has only 21 receptions for 128 scoreless yards. He may be expendable with Sincere McCormick flashing in a short stretch last year and Dylan Laube offering more experience on special teams.
Maurice Moton covers the Raiders for Sportsnaut. You can follow him on Twitter at @MoeMoton.
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